


ash

by OnyxSphynx



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cheating, Drug Use, F/M, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, I hate Isabella, Isabella is Not Nice, Kisses, Love Confessions, M/M, a la Oswald, ends fluffily, minor fluff, mostly hurt with a little comfort, noncanon, os is mayor and jim's still a bounty hunter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 05:09:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14742573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnyxSphynx/pseuds/OnyxSphynx
Summary: Ed's relationship with Isabella is perfect, until it isn't.





	ash

**Author's Note:**

> basically i just hate Isabella and love Ed and Os

The scape is familiar: it's their apartment. Ed can't remember when they moved in together- as a matter of fact, as with so many things regarding Isabella, Ed can't remember much of anything.

In his hands, a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of fine wine; it's their six month anniversary. Ed is fairly certain that their anniversary isn't for another month- or perhaps it was last week? The pills he takes, prescribed by the doctor Isabella encouraged him to visit, make time hard.

His mind feels like it's turning spongey, formerly edict memory full of holes, but he reasons that it's probably just a side-effect of the medication; after all, Isabella knows what's good for him. He knocks on the door, wonders what Isabella will look like when she sees Ed. Perhaps she'll grace him with that smile of hers.

When there's no answer, he roots around his pockets for his keys and unlocks the door softly. Isabella isn't happy when he's loud.

The sight that greets him sends his mind reeling: Isabella's practically sitting in a taller man's lap, pawing at his clothes. He's already pulling off her undershirt, and his pupils are blown large, lust filled. Ed stand, rooted to the spot, and the keys slip out of his hand, falling to the hardwood floor with a clatter.

Isabella startles, pulls herself up to see who it is. "Oh, it's you." The annoyance in her tone is clear.

"I-Isabella?" Ed stutters, and she sighs, irritated, and turns to the other man.

"I'm sorry, Alan, give me a moment." Her eyes bore into Ed's soul. He's not sure how to feel; the drugs mute emotions. Instead, he just feels numb.

"Nashton," Isabella bites out, and all is dark.

-

When Ed opens his eyes, he's lying in bed alone. He gets up, pats himself down: pyjamas. It must've been a dream.

Before he heads to Oswald's- he's the man's Chief of staff; being late is not an option- he asks Isabella if she knows anyone named Alan.

She just stares at him, confused. "No, why?"

"Nothing." He shrugs, and ignores the bouquet of flowers on the ground. It's hardly the first time he's hallucinated.

Oswald shoots him worried looks the entire day, and Ed feels bad for making his best friend worry about him.

"Ed…" Oswald starts hesitantly, once the meetings are all over and they're having their weekly dinner. "Are you alright?

"Yeah, I- I'm fine." Ed curses the way his voice cracks. It makes him sound pathetic, and he hates seeming pathetic around Oswald, who's always so proud and confident and kind to him; deep down, he's terrified that it's all an act, that Oswald actually hates him and will fire him the second he messes up.

He doesn't want to lose Oswald.

Oswald eyes him sceptically. "Is it something to do with Isabelle- Isabella?"

"N- no!" Ed panics. "No, she hasn't- it's all good! I love her!"

Oswald blinks, slightly taken aback. "I wasn't implying-"

Ed stands abruptly, chair skittering across the floor. "I hav- I have to go n- now."

The doctor, who has him repeat, verbatim, the events of the day, takes one look at him and doubles the dosage of pills per day.

-

Similar things happen the next two weeks. Ed dreams that Isabella- or Isabelle? Her name flickers like a half-forgotten memory- cheats on him with a man named Alan.

Each week, Oswald asks after him, growing more and more concerned.

And each week, Doctor Livston doubles his dosage of medication.

It all culminates in the third week. By now, Ed's taking twelve pills a day, and he feels lightheaded. The hallucinations, too, are worse; they're incredibly vivid, so much so that Ed almost starts to believe that Alan is real.

He feels constantly fatigued, and he has to hide the way his hands shake, but he manages to convince himself that everything's fine. Until he collapses midspeech, the sharp, cold darkness greeting him.

In the background, detachedly, he can hear Oswald panicking, sirens, and he wonders, briefly, if Oswald's voice has always sounded that nice.

He dreams in snippets of sound and colour. Occasionally, dark shapes loom out of the mostly blank canvas of unconsciousness. Mostly, though, when he does dream, it's of Oswald.

Ed dreams of his green eyes, the way his lips twitch into a crooked smile. He dreams of the first time Oswald looked at him that way, covered in Mr. Leonard's blood, and how stunning he looked. He dreams of their dinners together, and how Oswald supports him. He dreams of intimate moments, when Oswald smiles at him, in awe of Ed's riddles.

When he wakes, the scent of antiseptics hit his nose, and his throat aches, parched. By the side of the hospital bed, slumped over, gripping Ed's limp hand, is Oswald.

The bright lights highlight his sallow skin and sunken eyes, and he stirs. "Ed! You're awake! Thank the gods- I was so worried when you collapsed, and then they said you'd been half drugged to death with infatuation inducing tablets-" Oswald lets out a small, wet sniffle.

"What?" Ed asks, voice scratchy, and Oswald explains. Explains how Isabella was manipulating him, drugging him to be devoted to her to tear him and Oswald apart, explains how she and her husband Alan had concocted the plan after learning from a source of Oswald's intentions to ask Ed out.

"Don't worry, though," Oswald assures him. "I contracted Jim Gordon to… retrieve them. Neither of them is alive any longer."

Ed feels relief. Then, he remembers what Oswald had said. "Did you really intend to ask me out?" When Oswald nods, hesitantly, Ed exclaims, "You prepared an elaborate meal and I bailed on you for someone I'd only just met! Oh, Oswald, I'm so sorry."

Oswald shrugs. "It was hardly your fault- you'd been fed the tablets for weeks before then."

"Still…" Ed says, "That was awful of me."

Oswald laughs humorlessly. "It's not like you'd ever say yes to me- look at me; I'm weak and ugly, and Isabella was beautiful- and distinctly female."

"Hey, that's not true," Ed protests, "I would be honoured if you wanted to date me- as a matter of fact- will you, Oswald, go out with me?"

There's a small gasp, and Oswald whispers, quietly, "Yes," and Ed smiles and raises Oswald's hand to his lips and brushes a soft kiss to the back. 


End file.
